GotItDoneInHarlem

No drain. The only times I have heard of drains is when there is excess bleeding or a suspected leak.

Colace and miralax keep me regular

Gotta face your fear sometime. You've made a huge step in the right direction!

I keep trying new recipes. Healthy ones that sound delicious, and they are! BUT my new tummy hates them and it's back to basics. The most exotic thing I've incorporated is spinach and mushrooms. Ground anything is a nightmare. What are your favorite "simple" foods? Cooking, prep, type, all that doesn't matter to me. I just want something high Protein, delicious, preferably savory, and preferably easy to pack.

Why on earth would you start back up? Many surgeons will not do surgery if you smoke or plan to start again. Smoking and the carbon monoxide and other chemicals in your blood stream hampers healing and you're more likely to get a staple line leak. I quit before surgery and have no plans on starting back up. I feel so much better. I hope that you'll reconsider quitting with the intention of starting again.

Avocado/ Guacamole - Yes! Much smaller quantities 1/8th is enough to spread on a sandwich in place of mayo Sweet Potatoes/ Yams - Great complex card. Eat 1/3 of a yam. Corn Tortillas - You can but I'm skipping them all. Tacos rolled in lettuce wraps are awesome Coconut Oil/ Olive Oil - In moderation Agave nectar - STLL SUGAR. NO GO. Splenda tastes the best in my opinion and they have a brown sugar mix too. Spices are fine, but not for the first few weeks.

So I am really excited I have stopped taking a blood pressure medicine, but it seems like I'm gaining weight! The medicine is a diuretic so I assume it's Water weight. Who else experienced this?

POOP QUESTION ALERT So I've been clogged up. Had to go the fleet route to get things flowing but it was still bad. So I started taking colace 1x day and that did nothing. So now I'm tAking 2x day. I've noticed that I've GAINED 2 pounds since doing this. Is it making me retain Water? Why the weight gain?

Ok. So I've been doing the "cook a bunch of something and eat it for days" routine but it's getting REALLY old. I have a pretty strict 4-5 restriction and I get Protein in and not much else. I'm just getting so bored with food. What do eat to provide 1) variety 2) protein and some veg 3) more variety 4) NOT yogurt. I'm so bored of yogurt Is anyone eating the small healthy choice frozen dinners?

I've felt AMAZING for the last three weeks, but have run right into a wall of depression. It started Friday, but it's lingering and strengthening and I know this pattern in myself. I'm not mourning food. Work is great. I've only had positive reactions from those around me. My expectations are realistic and have been surpassed. If the scale dictated my mood I should technically be experiencing a manic episode and not depression. So, that leaves it to a biological reaction to surgery which is possible. It could also just be that my winter blues arrived late this year. They usually hit in November, so this is unexpected. I thought I had made it through my "danger zone." I will say that in spite of feeling good, and in spite of losing like a champ, and in spite of intentionally surrounding myself with loved ones and friends WAY more than usual, I'm feeling SUPER lonely. This is manifesting with a lot of reminiscing on past relationships, feeling excitement and fear for dating again, and, the constant one, having HIV. HIV I have tackled for years and won in therapy, but when relationships come back into the picture it rears it's ugly head. How long do the post-op blues last in your experience?

Call your NUT and express how you are feeling. Are you on full liquids or Protein shakes ONLY? If full liquids you'll most likely be able to do fat free yogurt and there are other protein options, like Isopure drinks, that are protein but different enough to get you through it. Again, call your NUT.

How much are you eating? How many calories are you getting in? I've found that when I've been stuck for a few days if I increase my calories for a few days it gets me back to losing. I've heard other anecdotal reports on the forums that increasing just a bit kicks you out of starvation mode and lets your body get back to burning fat.

Used a Nutri Bullet for post-op meals. It was PERFECT for what I needed it for, but don't think I'm ever going to use it again. Bought the EXACT system below. Still have the original box. $50+shipping. PM me if interested. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007TIE0GQ/ref=oh_details_o09_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I've got some pretty serious tattoos and have held off on adding for years because of my weight. I've been DYING to add an upper chest piece. Some wording that goes from collarbone to collarbone. It's a pretty flat area now but I'm not sure how well my moobs are going to shrink and if I'll need plastics to flatten out my lower chest down the road. I don't want to get a great piece done and have it hacked up later. Anyone with experience?

Don't do a pre-op without guidance. Some surgeons don't require one and it may be the surgeon doesn't feel you need to. Just go by what your doctor says, and if the surgeon says you don't need one that's AWESOME.

Hoo hoos are above my pay grade, but I feel ya. I'm losing weight like crazy and the fat pad of my pelvis hasn't gone anywhere and I too feel like I have a FUPA.

Sent you a PM.

It's great that they found it now! Just a bump on the road. The road is bumpy for everyone.

Do destroy your will to live. In all seriousness, it's so that you drop a bunch of weight right before the surgery to shrink your liver and make the procedure safer. They have to physically lift your liver up to get to your stomach and the more flexible, pliable, and moveable it is the fewer complications that can come up. It may suck in the beginning, but when you're post-op and counting every pound you'll be excited to include your post-op losses in your total loss. I've lost 27 since surgery in one month, but saying I lost 43 since I began my pre-op diet sound even better!

OMG the largest incision is the worst one. EVERYONE has that same experience. Coughing, sneezing, laughing can hurt for a little while. Keep sipping and do your best. Time will fly by. Walking is gas' #1 enemy. Walk as much as you can tolerate it. If you can tolerate over 15 minutes you should try. It will make a world of difference with gas and help you lose weight faster. Welcome to the other side.

Hang tight. Follow your diet plan and know that this will end soon.

Same thing happened to me. Drink Water. Take emergen-c. Search my earlier posts. I had a little cough going into surgery and it was brutal to have in recovery.

Awesome! I'd love to hear your story!

I struggled with this same concept. I chose to have the sleeve because I wanted ONE internal wound with ONE staple line to heal. I didn't want to re-route anything and I didn't want t deal with absorption issues (I take antivirals for HIV and that's a big no no). The decision is if you are ready to make this commitment. Yeah you lose weight, but it's an entire lifestyle change. For me, I have loved ever second of it and I've only just begun. Like you, I CAN lose weight, and have many times, but I ALWAYS put it back on and then some. But, I am ready for stability in my life. I am ready to only be able to eat so much yet be content. I too put on most of my weight with meds, mine were psych meds. Once upon a time I said I'd rather be fat than sad all the time, then realized I CAN be healthy, at a healthy weight, AND happy. There is not place other than a list of pros and cons that can help you decide. It doesn't sound like you're convinced it's for you. I wasn't ready for a long time and put it off, but once I was ready and did it I love it. You may need more time to make the decision for yourself. DOn't let anyone say you are or aren't ready. That's your decision. I will say the one thing that nudged me towards surgery were all the regret postings on this website. 99% of people on here, even people who endured SERIOUS LIFE-THREATNING COMPLICATIONS, all say the same thing. "My only regret is that I waited this long." Best of luck. Ask as many questions as you can. Educate yourself. Know why you want to do it. Know what you are scared of and face them all. After surgery is too late to second guess. I hope you find your answer and have peace with it. -J

Thanks to everyone that responded. I appreciate it.